


A Second Pair of Hands

by SilverServerError



Series: Elf Practice [12]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Blood, But He Gets Better, Canon Typical Violence, M/M, Taako needs a heal, im reasonably sure this counts as fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-07
Updated: 2017-12-07
Packaged: 2019-02-11 20:47:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12943566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverServerError/pseuds/SilverServerError
Summary: Taako doesn’t die. Again.“Homie, if you leave me here like this, you’re just going to have to come back in five minutes so we can do it all over again.”“Reapers don’t heal.”





	A Second Pair of Hands

**Author's Note:**

> So let’s pretend there’s some filler that would make this work in the timeline. And let’s ignore some of the cantrip mechanics for a second. Cool? Cool.

Taako concentrated. In. Out. In. Out. Ragged breaths that grew more and more wheezing as heat seared through his side and radiated through his body.

Something felt broken. _Everything_ felt broken.

In. Out.

Magnus and Merle were still up there somewhere, on the other side of this cave in.

He coughed and tried not to look at the dark stain it left on his glove.

In. Out.

Out.

Out.

There was the quietest shifting of rock behind him, and Taako’s ears flicked back to listen, in too much pain to turn and look.

“Hello, handsome.”

Taako managed a smile, but the warning sat heavy in his voice and hard in his eyes.

Footsteps came closer. Taako’s gaze tracked two shining leather shoes and crisply ironed cuffs as they circled at a distance, then came to a stop before him. Taako grit his teeth, held his side, and made the Herculean effort to glare up.

Out.

“Sorry, Babe. I don’t have time to mess around right now.”

The reaper… Familiar.. Beautiful… Terrifying…

The reaper looked down on him with a mix of hesitance and pity that made the back of Taako’s neck burn.

His grip around the umbrella tightened in his free hand, knuckles white and hand shaking.

“Taako…” he said, half disappointed, half resigned.

With a groan that was almost a scream, he used the last of his strength to raise his arm, umbrella almost vibrating in his hand as he pointed it at Kravitz’s chest.

Kravitz raised an eyebrow.

In. Out.

“You don’t have the slots,” he said, as if trying to talk down a tantruming child. Not unkind, but embarrassingly gentle.

“Fucking try me.”

“I’m not going to reap you, Taako.”

“What?”

With a sigh, Kravitz crouched down, closer to eye level with the elf, who continued to glare as hard as he could. “Please can we…?”

Out. Out. Out.

When Taako didn’t relent, he pushed the umbrella gently to the side. The elf hurt too badly to try and fight him. Touching him as little as possible, Kravitz’s cool hand made contact with his bare shoulder where his shirt had ripped during an attack.

All at once, Taako took a shuddering, desperate gasp in, whatever had pierced a lung suddenly disappearing. Taako pushed himself back, bracing against the floor as he could breathe, sore but normal again.

“What did you…?”

Kravitz stood, pulling a black glove back on and materializing his scythe, raising it to slice back into his plane.

“Wait…!”

He shouldn’t. He absolutely shouldn’t. But…

He hesitated, and glanced back down at the elf, battered and bloodstained, holding his side. Ears down and eyes wide and pitiful.

He swallowed, lowering the scythe a few degrees. “Yes?”

“Is that it?” Taako looked up, obviously afraid, but brave in his desperation.

“I spared you.”

“With one hit point.”

Kravitz shifted a little awkwardly, and the scythe disappeared altogether. “That is the normal custom.”

“Homie, if you leave me here like this, you’re just going to have to come back in five minutes so we can do it all over again.”

“Reapers don’t heal.”

“Bullshit. Isn’t death the longest rest of them all?”

“You didn’t die.” That, and he was already going to be in enough trouble as it was.

Taako stared up at him, and Kravitz felt a mounting pressure, as if he could possibly be the one in the wrong here. Then, Taako lifted a chunk of rubble and held it up over his lap.

“Taako don’t-”

He dropped it from eye height, the small impact just enough to roll him back to zero. His soul started pulling at him once more.

“Taako-” he tried to begin, voice low and calming like this was some sort of hostage situation. However the elf cut him off with an annoyed tone.

“I’m not kidding. I got all day. You wanna dance? Let’s dance. I’m breakable as hell and this cave is made of damage.”

“Taako…”

“Oh man,” Taako shakily got to his feet again, turning away and starting to shuffle around the rubble. “I had a lantern before I fell. Hope I don’t find any broken glass to step on.”

An ice cold hand caught his shoulder once more, and Taako froze, half in shock, half in the feeling that slipped down his spine and through his whole body. It was a frozen numbness. Then it eased slowly, leaving a recovered body behind. He felt fine. He felt… _better_.

“Krav…?” Taako didn’t pull away. Only after a long moment, he turned his head back over his shoulder. “Did you?”

“You… You don’t have many hit points for an adventurer, Taako.”

“Was that a buff or-?” Taako began to ask, still in shock.

But he fell silent as Kravitz caught his eye significantly and finally pulled his hand away to hold one finger against his own lips in a non-verbal request for silence.

Taako just stared for a moment, then a disbelieving grin broke across his features. He held back a slightly hysterical laugh, then winked and nodded.

He stepped away, looking over himself with eyes and palms, finding every wound closed and every internal pain gone.

The same couldn’t be said for his clothes unfortunately.

“Shame about the…” Taako trailed off, a hand, holding up where the tear across his shoulder was hanging frayed and bloodstained. “I guess there’s nothing for it but…”

He started charging the Mend spell, but he let it drop as Kravitz stepped closer once more, hands held out, palms up and open.

“You really should save those slots for getting out of here.”

Taako looked at him, ears back suspiciously, but held his ground. “What are you trying to say?”

Kravitz smiled, approaching slow and gentle like Taako was a skittish animal. “If you would allow me?”

“What do you know about…?” But then Taako trailed off as Kravitz somewhat shyly brought a hand back to gesture at his own clothing. The perfectly fitted suit. The tasteful accents of maroon against black. The artfully woven hair.

“Oh.”

Kravitz smiled softly, encouraged to see Taako calming somewhat. “I’ll be the first to admit I couldn’t recreate your aesthetic, but I think I can manage fixing a little wear and tear.”

Taako drifted closer, shy, still a little scared, but intrigued nonetheless.

He wordlessly offered his shoulder, and let his hand fall away as Kravitz slid his own over it, watching him carefully and leaving like-brand new fabric behind.

“That’s… okay yeah. That’s actually pretty good.”

“Should I keep going?”

“I… Yeah. I mean, I guess, right?” Taako swallowed and smiled hesitantly.

Kravitz watched him from the corner of an eye as he kept working, hands moving slow and careful as he concentrated at getting all the details right and the lines smooth. He saw how Taako’s ears kept hitching in shy curiosity, but he didn’t allow himself to stare.

He kneeled as he worked down towards his waist and hips, and with utmost respect, started fixing the fraying and snags around the hem of Taako’s short skirt.

“You’re… You’re really not terrible at this.”

Kravitz allowed himself to glance up with a small smile. “No doubt that’s high praise coming from you.”

Taako blushed and looked away, ears twitching down.

Kravitz smiled even wider, going back to his work.

“Yo, Wings.”

Kravitz looked up again, this time slightly confused by the nickname. “Yes?”

“Since you’re not awful at this, you know what I’ve always wanted?”

“You’re putting in requests now?”

Taako ignored him and barreled on. “Like, this sash?” Taako reached down and touched the strip of fabric lightly. “It’s great, right? But you know what would be better? A bow. Just like, a giant obnoxious bow.”

Kravitz raised an eyebrow. “You want me to tie a bow?”

“No, no, no,” Taako explained turning around so Kravitz had to make an actual effort not to take the opportunity to stare at his ass. “You’re thinking small. I want you to make a bow. The kind that sticks up all on its own. I want to look like a Candlenights present or some shit.”

Kravitz laughed to himself fondly, but did as requested, re-tying the sash around Taako’s waist, then charming it to stay stiff and bouncy as he arranged the loops.

“Like that?”

Taako tried to glance over a shoulder, then reached back to feel with his hands when he couldn’t quite get a good view. “Hell yeah. Nice.”

“I’m glad you like it.” Kravitz moved on, tapping Taako’s ankle.

He gave his foot back immediately, the feeling strangely familiar, then only after the fact grew embarrassed as he realized it was a sensation he’d only ever felt in sympathy with Garyl when he was getting his hooves checked.

He pulled his foot away away again, cheeks blushing in soft embarrassment.

“Taako? But your heel-”

Taako reached down and burned a low level slot to fix it. Maybe it wasn’t the best strategy but Kravitz had done enough touching his clothes for the next century at least, if not millennia.

“Yeah, that’s enough. I don’t have all day, you know.”

Kravitz stood again, sensing his nervousness and backing off.

“Rumproast and Tofurkey are probably trying to punch their way through a lock or some stupid shit.”

“Of course.” Kravitz pulled his scythe out of the air again, and sliced a portal. “Taako?”

“Yeah?” The elf still seemed skittish, but it was a start.

(‘A start to what?’ he berated himself silently.)

“Watch out for trap doors, okay?”

Taako scowled, ears lowering and drawing a breath to deliver some complaint. But Kravitz cut him off before he began.

“Watch out for six specific trap doors situated at corners and disguised with illusions,” Kravitz amended with a look.

Taako’s ears twitched back up. “Oh!”

Kravitz smiled at the sight, then with a step through the portal, was gone.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Blushamatic wrote a very sweet thing about bows and candlenights and you should go read it. But it stuck in my head and I guess it showed up here too? Sorry idk???^^’


End file.
